Stubborn Love
by ShadowHunter90
Summary: It takes one incident to bring these two stubborn people together... DarylxOC one-shot


**A/N: **I'M BAAAAAAAACK! This is my first Daryl Dixon one-shot that I wrote for someone on Quizilla! Not only that, but this is the first thing i've written in over a year! Exactly a year! Kind of cool. Please review and be kind to me! I'm nervous writing about my newest obsession.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Walking Dead or the OC in this fanfic.

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She didn't know when she fell for the Redneck known as Daryl Dixon; maybe it's when her German Shepherd Rosco took a liking for the man. Or maybe it's his rude, but honest remarks at things.

Whatever the case; Marie Howell likes her fellow Hunter and the only one that knows about it is her best friend Glenn.

As she sat on the front steps of the porch, she watched Daryl make plans with Rick, T-Dog, Andrea, Dale, and Jimmy over the search for Sophia, Carol's 12 year old daughter that went missing a couple days prior.

"You gonna make a move on Daryl or just stare Marie?" Glenn loved to tease his childhood friend when it comes to the guys she likes. Though he can't understand why she has a thing for the Redneck. He's rude, has a bad temper, and quite anti-social. But, he's noticed that he took a liking to Rosco and in doing so has a friendship with Marie.

"You gonna make a move on Maggie yet? I saw the way you were staring at her the other night." The half Filipino, half Italian woman countered back knowing it would make him uncomfortable.

"Are you crazy? Her dad would kill me before I get the chance!" The young Asian shivered at the thought of that happening.

"You're probably right my amico. You don't have the balls." Marie pulled back her shoulder length black hair to fashion it into a ponytail.

"Besides, we should focus on finding Sophia now that we have a safe place to stay to organize the search." Glenn watched the men gathering at the car with a map on the hood from the porch stairs.

"Yeah, this is no time for romance." She sighed as her brown eyes landed on the sexy Daryl Dixon wearing sleeves for once.

"I'm going to set up the tents with Dale. I'll talk to you later." Glenn headed over to the camp leaving Marie on her own.

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Later on, she discovered that Maggie asked Glenn to go on a run into town with her. And of course he accepted even if he did have to ride a horse.

"Whatever happened to the "No time for romance" rule?" The young woman sighed.

"If you have an itch that needs to be scratched, i'm your man. And I got time, plenty of it." The ex-cop Shane Walsh walks over to her with a grin on his face. Since he can't have Lori, he'll settle for the young archer instead.

"I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole you uomo-puttana." She spat using her native tongue.

"Whatcha say to me?"

"You heard me, uomo-puttana. I want nothing to do with you." Loving that she can insult him and get away with it. Knowing a language the other doesn't understand or speak sure has its perks.

"Bet you would be singing a whole different tune if you gave me a chance instead of shooting me down." Shane smirked taking in her figure. Yes, she had a very nice figure indeed.

Before she could argue further with the man, she was interrupted by a southern voice that was music to her ears.

"Hey asshole, didn't ya hear 'er the first time? She ain't want nothin' to do with ya." Daryl walked over with her dog Rosco right by his side; his crossbow strapped over his back.

"Wasn't talking to you Redneck." Shane growled not the least a bit afraid of the Hunter. To Shane, he was nothing more then the scum he used to arrest believing he is just like his brother Merle.

Rosco growled, baring his fangs at the former police officer. Despite his breed being known as police dogs, this was one police officer he didn't like.

"You better control your mutt woman. Don't need him to bite anyone." Shane glared at the dog.

"The only person he's gonna bite is you if you don't leave me alone." At this, Shane decided it was time to retreat. He had no desire to be bitten by the fleabag.

"Alright, let me know when you change your mind." Hands up in surrender backing away.

"Oh, and uomo-puttana? Don't call my dog a mutt, he's a purebred German Shepherd."

Shane rolled his eyes as he left, but gave her one last look that said that their conversation wasn't over and it didn't go unnoticed by the Hunter. For now, he left it alone and would deal with Shane later and decided to focus on the woman in front of him.

"Why do ya keep callin' 'im that?" Daryl asked.

"Uomo-puttana? Because that is what he is."

"What does it mean?" Daryl asked out of pure curiosity.

"Man-whore." She replies as she pets Rosco.

The Hunter's expression changed to one of amusement. Yeah, that does sound about right considering he fucked his best friend's wife and now is hitting on Marie. Something he doesn't like which is why he came to her rescue. There is something about the woman that attracts him to her and yet he can't put his finger on it.

"Anyway, came to return yer dog before I head out." Switching the subject; he looked down at the German Shepherd.

"He likes you. I can tell you like him too. He knows a good person when he sees one don't you boy?"

Rosco barks and wags his tail looking up at the two people he considers his masters.

"Ya think I'm a good person?" Daryl questioned looking a bit uncomfortable. He's not used to people complimenting him.

"Of course, you're looking for Sophia right? Shane thinks she's a lost cause, but I think we need to keep looking. Carol deserves to know her daughter's fate. If she's alive, I think that would make everyone happy and prove Shane wrong and if not, then at least we know what happened to her instead of not knowing at all." Marie's gaze lands on the RV where Carol resides.

"Yeah, i'll find 'er." He said it with such conviction that it made her smile.

"Carol has suffered enough; she needs her daughter back." It was known to everyone that Carol's late husband used to beat her on a daily basis. Good thing the walkers put an end to that.

"I'll be takin' a horse, cover more ground that way. "

"You going alone?" Not liking the idea of it at all.

"Like I told Rick, i'm better on my own. Ya gonna look for 'er too?"

"Yeah, gonna have Rosco sniff her out." Marie scratched Rosco's ears.

"Ya taught 'im to track?" This was unknown to Daryl.

"Yeah, my mama never paid attention to me and always focused on her boyfriend and his son. So I camped out in the woods behind the house and never really stayed home unless it was to get food or clothes. But sometimes I would have Rosco track something to eat like a rabbit. Guess that's how I got into Archery." She held out her bow with a small smile.

"I never would have guessed." He said in awe.

"In a way, I guess I should be grateful to my mama for neglecting me. If she had not done so, I wouldn't have the skills to survive in this new world." The young woman looks to the clear blue sky as she remembers her late mother believing she is now one of the dead.

"Is that why ya have that tattoo?" He looked down at he tattoo on her collarbone.

The words "Life can do terrible things" is tattooed on her collarbone. She touched the ink stained skin gently.

"Yeah, and the words ring even more true in this new world."

"Can't argue with that." He readjusted the strap on his shoulder. Hearing her story, he has more respect for her. It's no easy task fending for yourself as a kid. He knows this from experience so he can relate.

"You heading out now?"

"Yeah, losing daylight standing here." He said as he turned around without a good-bye walking in the direction of the stables.

"Come on Rosco, let's find ourselves a little girl." Marie patted the German Shepherd's head affectionately.

Rosco barked, his tail wagging at the chance to go in the woods to sniff out the many wonderful smells the woods had to offer.

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Of course, things didn't go so well as the day went on. Everyone came back empty handed from their search. Daryl came back with proof that came in the form of Sophia's doll at the cost of him getting injured in the woods and getting shot by Andrea.

Marie later learned exactly what happened to her favorite Redneck. While Daryl was on the horse, he spotted Sophia's doll washed up on the shore of a pond. He went to collect it and got back on the horse, but the horse freaked out and threw him off; sending him down the ridge back into the water. Somehow, one of his bolts ended up going through the side of his torso and he tore off his sleeves to wrap around the wound. When he tried to climb back up the steep ridge, he lost his footing fell back down, knocking himself unconscious. He woke up to a walker gnawing on his foot, but luckily his boot wasn't so easy to chew through and killed the walker with a nearby branch. Then another walker decided to join in on the fun. With no weapon to aid him, he was forced to pull out the bolt from his side and shoot the walker. In the end, he climbed up the ridge and walked back to the farm. Andrea mistakenly thought he was a walker due to his injuries and wanting to prove herself capable of handling a gun, disobeyed Rick's orders not to shoot and shot Daryl. The bullet only grazed the side of his head but the impact still sent him falling back down on the ground.

Thus why he is now out of commission and can no longer look for Sophia. Not wanting to stay cooped up in the farmhouse, he choose to stay in his tent. Marie decided to pay the injured man a visit to save him from boredom.

"I have to say, you're one tough son of a bitch Daryl."

"Yeah?" He was already bugged by Andrea, and now Marie.

"Yeah, it must run in the family." A small smile appears on her lips.

"Shouldn't ya be focusin' on findin' that lil' girl?" He growled in annoyance.

"I went looking early this morning. The pond where you found Sophia's doll; Rosco couldn't pick up her scent because the water washed it away. I'm sorry." They finally found their first clue, and now they're at a dead end.

"Well, at least someone is lookin'." No longer annoyed with her presence.

Daryl noticed that his female friend seemed a little troubled this morning and it is not often that she shows such an expression.

"What's buggin' ya?" Going straight to the point. He's not the best person to come to for advice or even for a conversation. But, when it comes to Marie he's willing to try. He can't help but have a soft spot for her for reasons he has come to terms with. Simply put, he likes the female archer sitting in front of him. He's just too stubborn to make a move on her in fear of pushing away the only person he gets along with and trusts.

"Glenn, he's been acting strange since last night after dinner. He's been acting jumpy and keeps conversations short. He only gets that way when he's hiding something. He's not very good at keeping secrets and can't lie to save his life." Her expression becomes even more worried.

"Probably 'cause he's gettin' some from the farmer's daughter and is scared Old McDonald will find out." He said it so casually, but her jaw dropped at the news.

"Glenn didn't tell me and he tells me everything."

"He told Dale."

"So, he tells Dale, but not his best friend?" The look of betrayal on her face.

"Well, ya are a girl." It's just a simple fact.

"Well, least he's not a virgin anymore." Marie is glad Glenn found someone to spend time with and in this new world, it's rare.

Daryl can't help but chuckle at how casual this conversation is. Here they are talking about Chinaman's sex life. What a way to pass the time.

"I'm sorry, i'm not trying to create any drama. We get enough of that around here." Marie's mind wanders over to the love triangle with Rick, Lori, and Shane.

"Yer just worried; that ain't drama woman." He clarified.

"Yeah, thanks for letting me get it off my chest. I'll just wait till he comes to me and spills the beans."

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Marie didn't have to wait long for the Asian to spills the beans. While everyone was eating breakfast together, Glenn approached the group timidly.

"Um, guys? The barn's full of walkers."

Time stopped for Marie. Walkers? In the barn? Was nowhere safe?

Shane, angry at the Asian and the farm owners for hiding such a such a secret stomped over to the barn to check it out. Turns out Glenn was telling the truth, but the barn looked secure enough for now. It was decided that the would be watch duty on the barn just in case.

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"This day can't get any worse." Marie hung out in the stables with the horses, petting the snout of one of them.

"Then let me make it better." The voice of Shane bounced off the walls of the stables.

"Go away Shane. I'm in no mood to deal with you."

"Keep denying me all you want, but the truth is you want me and i'm tired of waiting for you to realize it." He moved so quickly that she had no time to react and was pinned against the wall by the man that is slowly losing his mind.

"Shane! Get off me!"

"Oh, say my name again, I like it." His body pressed up against hers, leaving her no room to escape.

"CAZZO!" The young woman cursed as she struggled.

"Talking dirty to me now? Just give in and admit you want me." His eyes glowing with lust. He grinds his hips against hers and she can feel his hardness.

"È MAIALE SPORCO! IO NON VOGLIO CHE TU!" She spat in his face causing his hold on her wrists to tighten.

"Quit denying me what I want. I have a lot of stress and you're going to help me relieve it." Holding her wrists with one hand, he used the other to go under her shirt cupping her breast. He bent down and kissed her neck, licking her skin with his tongue.

"QUALCUNO MI AIUTI! PER FAVORE!" She cried out not even realizing that she was speaking Italian out of fear.

Regardless on what language she was speaking, her cries are heard and the ex-cop is thrown off her.

"YA SON OF A BITCH! I OTTA GUT YA RIGHT NOW FOR TOUCHING 'ER!" Daryl delivered a kick to Shane's stomach as the man crumpled on the ground.

Daryl was passing by when he heard Marie's cries. Daryl saw red when he saw Shane assulting Marie against the stable wall. She looked so helpless and scared and no matter how much she struggled, Shane overpowered her. All he wanted to do was beat the shit out of Shane and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

"I OTTA FEED YA TO THE WALKERS IN THE BARN FOR TOUCHIN' 'ER! I'M GONNA GUT YA RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE AND CUT OFF YER USELESS DICK! MIGHT EVEN CUT OFF YER TINY BALLS AND WEAR 'EM FOR A NECKLACE!" Daryl kicked him again and again as the ex-cop tried to get up off the ground. Daryl wasn't having any of that as he got on top of the man and punched him in the nose, the sound of bone breaking satisfying him.

Marie finally snapped out of her traumatic daze as she watched the man she loved beat the shit out of her almost rapist.

"Daryl." Her voice barely above a whisper, but he heard her loud and clear.

He stopped his assult on the former officer and spat on him. His body, still shaking with anger, he took hold of Marie's hand and lend her out of the stables.

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Watching her from the corner of his eye, he saw the silent tears on her face. It didn't suit the strong woman at all and it broke his heart.

"Daryl, thank you." With courage in her heart, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Daryl was sure that his face was all red. The feeling of her soft lips on his skin felt rather nice.

"C'mere woman, yer face is a mess." He pulled out the red hankerchief from his back pocket and wiped her tearstained face.

"Thanks." She let him slowly wipe the tearstains off her face and noticed he was staring into her brown eyes with such intensity that it should bug her. She stared right back into his blue ones with the same ammount of intensity, not bothered by it at all.

"You could have pulled out your stitches, kicking him like that." She said out of the blue.

"Well, I didn't. And even if I did, it was worth it."

"If I wasn't so out of it, I would have joined in."

Daryl chuckled and startled her by cupping her now dry cheeks in his hands. He leaned in, their foreheads touching and she can feel his warm breath wash over her face.

"Seeing ya like that, it scared me." Daryl has a hard time voicing out his feelings, but he wants to try, just for her. If it means he had to be a pussy as his older brother would put it, so be it.

"Daryl."

"I really wanna gut 'im, for touchin' ya like that." Just thinking about it makes his blood boil.

"Daryl, you did e-"

"No! I should have seen it comin'! The way he was lookin' at ya! Should have punched 'im that day on the porch!"

Marie decided to stay silent as he ranted on.

"I haven't even known ya for long, but dammit! I wanna protect ya! I know yer strong and I know i'm not the greatest guy out there, but lean on me when ya don't wanna be strong, even for a lil' while."

"il mio amore." Daryl didn't know what she said, but he did know that by the soft sound of her voice that it was affectionate.

"I know I have a bad temper, i'm not the greatest person. I know sometimes I think with my fists more than with my head. But, would ya give me a chnace?" He didn't want to fight with his feelings anymore. Now everything was out in the open, at least at his end.

She gave him a small smile and a nod.

"I like you Daryl, I was just too stubborn to admit it to you."

"That makes two of us girl." He leaned in the rest of the way and started their new found relationship with a kiss.

THE END

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**A/N: **Again, please review and if you want to know what Marie was saying, here you go! Just a warning, these translations might be wrong. Blame Google Translate. XD

"Amico" - "Friend"

"Uomo-Puttana" - "Man-Whore"

"CAZZO!" - "Fuck!"

"È MAIALE SPORCO! IO NON VOGLIO CHE TU!" - "You filthy pig! I don't want you!" (The first part of this phrase might be wrong. But eh, close enough. XD)

"QUALCUNO MI AIUTI! PER FAVORE!" - "Someone help me! Please!"

"il mio amore." - "My love."


End file.
